Mad World
by WriteEditLife
Summary: Veronica sings at the Whyte Wyrm and Sweet Pea is in the crowd in 2x08.


Sweet Pea was bored. He was leaning against the back wall of the Whyte Wyrm, his arms crossed over his chest, his feet planted hard on the floor, as he gazed out at the patrons around him through the edges of hair falling into his gaze. On any other night he would be playing pool and happily taking Tall Boy for all his money, but not tonight. Tonight was FP's retirement party from the Serpents. Sweet Pea was happy when he heard FP was getting out of jail, but that mood quickly soured when he learned that their leader wouldn't be returning to his role.

Predictably Jughead was thrilled, telling anyone who would listen. Sweet Pea found him a bit more annoying than usual, at least until Jughead explained about the party. His ears had perked up at that. FP might not be coming back to the Serpents, but that party could still be a drunken blowout; a nice change of pace. Any excuse to get drunk. Now here he was, alone in the back of the bar, not drunk enough or entertained enough.

The bar was packed so full of people that there was barely any room to move. Sweet Pea saw and felt people shuffling around in front of him, not even sparing him a glance as they went by. He glanced around the room again out of sheer boredom, reaching up to rub his hands through his unruly black hair, before dropping them down by his sides and then into his pockets.

He spotted Toni behind the bar as usual, except with the crowd she looked pretty busy. Fangs was busy working on his bike, which had broken down after school and he needed it working for Serpent business. Sweet Pea helped out for a while until the problem was beyond his expertise, plus he wanted to see FP and give him a good send off. He was always good to us.

Sweet Pea's brown eyes landed on their former fearless leader, as FP was talking animatingly to a small group off the Sweet Pea's left. Sweet Pea watched him for a moment, trying to picture the Whyte Wyrm without FP Jones, without the Serpents jacket. He watched FP turn and gesture behind him, pointing his finger over towards the pool table, where Sweet Pea noticed Jughead was. Of course, gushing about the writer.

With a heavy sigh and the urge to suppress an eye roll, Sweet Pea looked towards the stage at the front of the room and was surprised and pissed by what he saw. Betty Cooper, Jughead's girl, was standing on the stage adjusting the karaoke machine. She was wearing a pink miniskirt and a blue collared shirt with the ends tied at the bottom, her blonde hair moving against her shoulders and shining bright under the stage lights.

Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes at her, not that she could see that. Of course, the northsider is here. Sweet Pea could see why Jughead was with her, he had eyes, but she just seemed like a clueless blonde who was trying way too hard to impress her boyfriend. The Whyte Wyrm was southsider territory, and the one place he never had to deal with those northsiders.

Those northsiders and their privilege. Sweet Pea remembered the last time he had ventured to that side of town, looking for that punk Archie Andrews who had the idiocrasy to point a gun in his face on the southside. He remembered parking his bike on the street and peering up at the perfect little house on the nice suburban street with well-maintained lawns, cars, and everything else. If he wasn't so pissed off, he might have acknowledged how truly boring that existence seemed to him. He was there to reach Andrews a lesson though, and the anger fueled him up the stairs to the door.

That was the first time he had seen her. Andrews' girlfriend Veronica. She was the only thing that really stayed with him that night, other than his black eye. He had noticed her perfect hair, pearls and expensive clothes and was immediately put off. At least until she challenged him face to face, surrounded by both Bulldogs and Serpents. If he wasn't looking forward to pummeling her boyfriend so much, he would have been impressed with her fire and bravado.

That moment came later though, when he saw her fire a gunshot into the air and stop the rumble. In that moment he knew she was formidable and unlike any northsider he had ever encountered before. She seemed to understand the stakes of the event, the repercussions for everyone involved and was not afraid to get her hands dirty and fight back. It was like watching someone play chess, while you're playing checkers. Always ten steps ahead. The qualities of a survivor.

If Sweet Pea really thought about it, he could picture Veronica here, in the Whyte Wyrm. Something about her really intrigued him. Her dark raven hair flowing down her back as she confidently knocked back drinks. Or standing on the stage in a fitted black dress, singing a song with Betty- Wait.

Sweet Pea blinked, his back coming off the wall behind him as he straightened and craned his neck to see the stage better. Veronica was on the stage with Betty. I'm not that drunk. She's really here.

Over the sea of people and through the usual cloud smoke, Sweet Pea could make out the tiny but familiar figure of Veronica, standing behind a microphone as she adjusted it. He swallowed and shook his head slightly watching as she ran her fingers over the pearls at her neck, smoothed out her hair and looked to her right. To Andrews.

Sweet Pea huffed and looked away, knowing Andrews' existence this close to him would ruin his uplifted spirit at seeing Veronica again. Great. Red's here too. It's like couple's night for them or something. Sweet Pea had been wary when Ton mentioned there would be karaoke, but if it got too annoying Sweet Pea just figured he could heckle from the back to keep himself entertained. But now she was here. In Serpent territory. He leaned back against the wall, resuming his previous position, his hands shoved in his pockets and waited. This party definitely just got more interesting.

Veronica stood on the stage of the Whyte Wyrm, her face blank, her mind still reeling from Archie's harsh words to her moments earlier. She barely had time to compose herself after throwing her ability to sing a duet she "loves" with him back in her face, and she was determined to prove him wrong. I'm going to rock this.

Veronica reached her fingers up to touch her pearls as she took a deep breath and then smoothed out her hair against her shoulders. She lifted her eyes from the microphone she had just adjusted and looked to Archie, a bit of challenge behind her eyes, to inquire if he was ready to begin. She flashed a small but practiced New York City socialite smile that didn't reach her eyes at him, but he wasn't looking at her. Archie was fixing his own microphone and she looked back at hers as she prayed that the opening notes of the song would begin soon, since people were starting to stare.

As the notes began to play, she looked out into the audience for a familiar face, something she could anchor to as she sang. She knew Archie would sing the opening verse, which gave her a little more time to prepare. She swallowed thickly, her throat feeling constricted, and licked her lips to coat them as her eyes skimmed the audience. She didn't know what she was looking for, since the only people she knew here were Jughead, Betty and Archie, but she felt like she would know it when she saw it.

Veronica blinked and let out a low breath as she spotted Jughead standing near the pool table, a tight smile on his face, his beloved beanie still glued to his head along with that serpent jacket. As her eyes moved to his beanie, she noticed a tall figure behind Jughead, someone standing against the back wall. It was him. The tall serpent from the rumble.

Her eyes widened a bit, her chin lifting to get a better look under the harsh, bright lights of the stage. She could make out his intimidating stature from there, even when she was on the higher ground for once. He was leaned back against the far wall, his dark hair falling into his eyes, his serpent cut and flannel shirt hugging his body over a grey t-shirt. His arms were crossed over his chest, his many silver fingers on display and when she looked back up at his face, he was staring back at her.

Veronica broke the gaze when she heard Archie's voice sing the opening lines of the song.

All around me are familiar faces  
Worn out places, worn out faces  
Bright and early for their daily races  
Going nowhere, going nowhere

Veronica instinctively grabbed the microphone, her right hand closing tightly around the mic and her left clutching the stand. She looked towards the ceiling momentarily to mask one last breath, swallowed, and glanced sideways to Archie before singing her part.

Their tears are filling up their glasses  
No expression, no expression

Veronica focused on the words in the song, letting the words flow out of her mouth with practiced ease, the emotion rising in her throat with each passing note. The lyrics were sad, which was rather fitting for the moment, but she would not let that get to her. She was a Lodge after all.

Sweet Pea tried to hide the surprise on his face when she started to sing. His eyebrows rose as her soft voice filled the crowded room, engulfing the bar in a misty haze of tranquility. She was like a siren, with all the men in the room drawn to her voice, giving her all the attention as she continued on flawlessly, seemingly unaffected by the attention. He wasn't fooled.

Sweet Pea studied her features, her eyes were darted around the room to the ceiling and back as though reaching out for a strong hold. It was as if she was trying to hold herself up with her words, but she was being torn apart from the inside. She wouldn't buckle to the pressure; she was clearly too strong for that. But he recognized the internal battle as something he had struggled with: this need to be put together or get eaten alive by weakness.

He curled his fingers into his arms as he focused his gaze on her face, almost willing her to look his way. He could help. He could feel himself being drawn in, like a magnetic force was pulling him towards her, her cry for help evident in her movements. He recognized the pain in her voice and it made him livid, but at the same time, it made him realize they had something in common. They were survivors.

Although she was clearly in emotional distress, Sweet Pea tried to focus on the song and relax against the wall, his arms crossed, as he bowed his head as if to clear it. Not so easy with a raven-haired princess in front of him. The alcohol was clearly getting to him. He looked back towards her, his eyes losing their sharpness as he simply enjoyed her stunning voice and enjoyed the moment of beauty while it lasted. It always ended.

She looked to Archie, whose gaze was focused on the crowd, not sparing her a glance. Veronica looked back out to the crowd and her eyes were drawn to the back. To him. He was stilling watching her, but his demeanor has shifted a bit. Inside of his imposing nature, he seemed a bit more relaxed, his eyes on hers with curiosity and not hatred or anger. She kept their eyes locked as she sang the final two lines of her part, feeling a bit of strength return to her soul with the words out in the open. Like she could breathe again.

Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow  
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

Sweet Pea was enthralled by Veronica and couldn't look away if he had a gun to his head.

With their gazes locked, it was like she was peering into his soul and drawing the power she needed from him. He felt a warmth in his chest as he watched her eyes lit with confidence and glow with strength as she continued the song. It was as though a cloak of calm had washed over her as she sang, their eyes staying together as her entire body was illuminated in the lights of the stage, appearing as some sort of heavenly creature sent to charm him. Damn, I need a drink. Andrews' girl had some real game. Fierce, loyal, tough and beautiful.

Veronica broke their intense gaze as she finished the final note, her head dropping a bit in a stumble, as she tried to catch a breath. The strength she had felt moments before vanished as quickly as it had come. She was still reeling from Archie's verbal assault, clearly not hiding it as well as she was used to doing, and the lyrics to the song weren't helping either. What's worse is that she was sure he could tell. Gazing at him in the back of the room, it was like an invisible line connected them and all of her feelings and thoughts were laid bare for him to witness. Feeling so betrayed by Archie and so enraptured by the serpent was both exhilarating and exhausting.

She closed her eyes and looked towards the ceiling, hoping the bright light would give her some clarity. Veronica felt like a tug of war was happening in her chest, her happiness at singing keeping her going, while battling with her shadows of self-doubt and insecurity. As Archie started the next verse, she looked to him, but he was still carrying on as though she was a backup singer.

And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

Sweet Pea's eyes followed Veronica's movements as she took a break, her breathing more ragged, the tension clearly getting worse inside her. She was reaching her tipping point, and he had a strong feeling she wasn't looking to him on purpose. Whatever she was dealing with, being up there on stage wasn't helping. Singing was apparently something she had done before and done well, as the emotion she kept displaying was definitely as form of escape her for. She was trying to fix it herself.

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles it's a very very  
Mad world, mad world

This was wrong. Once Archie sang the lines for the duet, it was like Veronica was snapped from her daydream. She should be the one singing. Alone. She shouldn't be up there with him. After his earlier words and he lack of interaction with her on the stage, he clearly didn't even want her. And if that amazing look in his eyes was any indication, that serpent sure did.

Veronica felt the confusion in her mind that had been battling the whole song finally bubble over and she couldn't fake it any longer. The song, Archie, their situation, any of it. Veronica managed to hold it together for the last word of the verse, before looking towards Sweet Pea one final time and practically running off the stage.

Apparently, that's what it took to get Archie's attention as she could hear him call out to her as she left the bar. Veronica just couldn't do this anymore. Not with Archie. She couldn't love him the way he claimed to love her and that was the end of it.

Sweet Pea had watched with concern as Veronica's whole demeanor changed once she and Andrews' sang the same lines of the song. The powerful and seductive woman who had been singing those sorrow filled lyrics was quickly jolted back into a flustered and uncertain girl with a clear but difficult choice. Sweet Pea's eyes followed Veronica as she looked his way, almost as a goodbye, before turning and leaving the stage. He felt his posture go stoic as his eyes followed her small frame until she was no longer visible. The light which had engulfed her body while she was on stage snuffed out in seconds, the shadows reaching out the surround her as she walked quickly out into the night.

He clenched his jaw as he witnessed Andrews following her out quickly, completely obvious to her real plight. Figures. Sweet Pea felt the warmth leave his chest as he looked to the floor, unsure of both what had just occurred and the feelings still simmering in her heart and mind. The room was starting the recover a bit from Veronica's spell, and true to form he threw out a "Boo!" to keep up appearances. If the northsiders were going to crash their bar they could at least finish the song.

But Sweet Pea felt like all the fight and excitement had left the room with Veronica. A clear uncertainty remained. Sweet Pea focused his gaze on the floor of the bar as he pulled his cut tighter around him. The night went from boring to exciting in a matter of minutes and now he was just pissed. Veronica had not only shown up, but totally surprised him once again, before exiting dramatically. But not before revealing her inner turmoil to him. He couldn't be sure of the cause, he'd have to actually talk to her for that, but he never expected to actually identify with a northsider. That fact alone excited and sacred him. And he had no idea when he would see her again.


End file.
